Ephesians 5:31-33

Rachel Workman: ³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”^{[c] 32} This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. ³³ So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Having had 2 failed marriages, I feel I have no room to really comment here. But maybe someone can take something from my failures. What I have come to see as being the problem with most failed relationships is the lack of practicing these verses. A man is joined to his wife and they become one. A woman is to submit to her husband and the man is to love his wife as himself. The head of the family is Christ and then comes the husband and wife and everything else is placed under that. When you put other things ahead of either one of these things you have failed. This includes your job, your children, and your extended family. When the children come before your spouse you create an imbalance in the home by placing them in a position God never intended them to be in. The same goes for jobs and extended family. When your extended family comes before your spouse you've again created an imbalance inside the marriage. Homes are broken and relationships are having to adapt to that brokenness. This is making it even harder for people to practice these verses. But I truly believe if both people would, there would be more success stories.

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Mike Grimm:  ³¹“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³²This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. ³³Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

The union of husband and wife merges two persons in such a way that little can affect one without also affecting the other. Oneness in marriage does not mean losing your personality in the personality of the other. Instead, it means caring for your spouse as you care for yourself, learning to anticipate his or her needs, helping the other person become all he or she can be. The creation story, in Genesis 2:24, tells of God's plan that husband and wife should be one, and Jesus also referred to this plan on Matthew 19:4-6

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John Burnett:  ³¹ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³² This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she ^[a]respects her husband.  If men followed these commands and loved their wives like they loved themselves, there would be no divorce.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ephesians 6:1-4.

6 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,^[a] for this is the right thing to do. ² “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: ³ If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”^[b]

⁴ Fathers,^[c] do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Ephesians 5:21-30

Rachel Workman: ²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.^{[b] 27} He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹ No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰ And we are members of his body.

When I read these verses, I question my past marriages. Did I submit to my husband? I can tell you the answer is no. Nor did they submit to Christ. Nor did they love me as they loved themselves. It's pretty easy to justify my reasoning. But nowhere did it say submit to your husbands as to the Lord only IF your husband submits to Christ and loves you like his own body. It says submit to your husbands as to the Lord. I should have submitted and let God work on their submission.  

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Mike Grimm: ²¹Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²²Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. Submitting to another person is an often misunderstood concept. it does not mean becoming a doormat. When we submit to God, we become more willing to obey His command to submit to others, that is, to subordinate our rights to theirs. In a marriage relationship, both husband and wife are called to submit. For the wife, this means willingly following her husband's leadership in Christ. For the husband, it means putting aside his own interests in order to care for his wife. Submissions rarely a problem in homes where both partners have a strong relationship with Christ and where each is concerned for the happiness of the other.  ²³For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. ²⁴Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. This kind of mutual submission preserves order and harmony in the family while it increases love and respect among family members.

Paul told wives to submit to their husbands. The fact that a teaching is not popular today is no reason to discard it. People act like God said that for those times, and now He doesn't believe it applies. Like 2000 years ago God had no idea what Mike Grimm would be doing at 3:00 pm on May 21st, 2020. According to the Bible the man is the spiritual head of the family, and his wife should acknowledge his leadership. But real spiritual leadership involves service. Just as Christ served the disciples, even to the point of washing their feet, so the husband is to serve his wife. A husband is to love his wife as he loves Christ. A wise and Christ honoring husband will not take advantage of his leadership role, and a wise and Christ-honoring wife will not try to undermine her husband's leadership. Either approach causes disunity and friction in marriage.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. Christ cleansed the church by the "washing" of baptism. Through baptism we are prepared for entrance into the church just as ancient Near Eastern brides were prepared for marriage by a ceremonial bath. It is God's Word that cleanses us. ²⁸In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰because we are members of his body.

Paul devotes twice as many words to telling husbands to love their wives as to telling wives to submit to their husbands. How should a man love his wife? (1) He should be willing to sacrifice everything for her. (2) He should make her well-being of primary importance. (3) He should care for her as he cares for his own body. No wife needs to fear submitting to a man who treats her in this way.

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John Burnett:  ^21 [a]and be subject to one another in the ^[b]fear of Christ.  This command seems to be an afterthought in this section of scripture but is bigger than that.  Paul is trying to unify the church in it’s theology.  Today the church is split into many different denominations and doctrinal camps.  There is only one true church, those chosen by God to be saved by His grace.  Born again believers who become a new creatures with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

²² Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. ²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ that He might present to Himself the church ^[c]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. ²⁸ So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; ²⁹ for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, ³⁰ because we are members of His body.  These verses have taken a beating over the years from the feminist movement.  When sin entered the world in the garden, enmity between husband and wife became a consequence of sin.  The commands in verse 22 for wives and in verse 25 for husbands have been pitted against each other since the beginning of sin.  Christ is the example and His sacrificial love for His bride, the church, should be what we strive to achieve.  If husbands love their wives, the way Christ loved the church, they would happily submit. 

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ephesians 5:31-33

³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”^{[c] 32} This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. ³³ So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:15-20

Rachel Workman: ¹⁵ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. ¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. ¹⁸ Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹ singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. ²⁰ And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope I do make the most of every opportunity to shine the light of Christ. Looking at my life I'd say 50/50. One thing I feel I'm good at is giving thanks but I know it can never be enough.

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Mike Grimm:  Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of the time, because the days are evil. By saying, "the days are evil," Paul was communicating his sense of urgency because of evil's pervasiveness. We need the same sense of urgency because our days are also difficult. We must keep our standards high, act wisely, and so good whenever we can. ¹⁷So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, In Christ, we have a better joy, higher and longer lasting, to cure our depression, monotony, or tension. We should not be concerned with how much of the Holy Spirit we have, but how much of us the Holy Spirit has. We must submit ourselves daily to His leading and draw constantly on His power. ¹⁹as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, ²⁰giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we feel down, we may find it difficult to give thanks. Take heart -- in all things God works for our good if we love  Him and are called to His purpose. Thank God, not for your problems, but for the strength He is building in you through the difficult experiences of your life. You can be sure that God's perfect love will see you through.

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John Burnett:  ¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul was talking to the Ephesians but verses 15 and 16 could not be better advice for those of us living today.  Especially during this time where we are asked to distance ourselves from others.  The news has reported that the extra free time that the public has increased the traffic on Pornography sites exponentially.  Instead of using the time to study God’s word, many are using their time to do evil.  These are the days we are living in.  Alcoholism, domestic violence, and child abuse are all on the rise during this time and Satan has to be happy with the ways things are going.  Currently have a great Selah CD “Greatest Hymns, Volume 2” in my truck that really is helping me carry through on following verses 19 and 20.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ephesians  5:21-30

²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
²² For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.^{[b] 27} He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹ No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰ And we are members of his body.